Hangeul,
Korea＊s official language, was first invented by King
Sejong during the mid-15th century. Originally called
Hunminjeongeum, the language was fully conceived in
1443, and further promulgated by King Sejong of the
Joseon Dynasty in 1446. At the time of its inception,
the language consisted of 17 consonants and 11 vowels.
Currently, 3 of the originally established consonants
and 1 vowel are no longer in use, bringing the total
number of characters to 24. Korea＊s Hangeul vocabulary
is formed by the selective combination of vowels and
consonants to create words.

The official name for the Korean language was changed
to 'Hangeul' in 1910. Hunminjeongeum Proclamation Day
was called ＆Gagya Proclamation Day＊ up until 1926, and
it wasn＊t until 1928 that it was changed to its current
celebration, ＆Hangeul Proclamation Day＊.

The
chart below represents the 24 Hangeul characters together
with their romanized equivalents. 'The Hunminjeongeum,'
a historical document which provides instructions to
educate people on the use of Hangeul, is registered
with UNESCO. UNESCO awards a 'King Sejong Literacy Prize,'
every year in memory of the inventor of Hangeul.

Hangeul(Hangeul written in
syllabic units made up of two, three, or four letters.)